2008-2015 Chrysler Grand Voyager used car review

When a lot of people think of the Chrysler brand here, it’s with the brand’s outspoken, very American models such as the 300 and Crossfire coupe and convertible in mind.

But not too many immediately picture the Grand Voyager people-mover. But considering the US market’s reputation for getting family trucksters `right’ maybe that shouldn’t be the case.

1/4

Okay, so the Voyager is no sexier than any other van-styled people-mover, but in North American tradition, the Chrysler sure can move a lot of bodies and their luggage.

And it’s laid out with practicality first and foremost. That starts with the seating layout which is a 2-2-3 set-up that allows for seven seats. Where it gets clever is that both the second and third rows fold flat to make a bed (of sorts). There was also an option for a swivelling centre row which then placed the second and third rows facing each other with a removable table to go between them.

Related articles

A powered side-door on each side helped with the whole practicality thing as not everybody in the back needed to get in or out through the single door of a lot of the Chrysler’s competition. And when you’ve got anything up to five or six people trying to do just that, it’s easy to see how the extra door would make a difference.

In the upmarket Limited version, you also got powered and heated front seats with a memory function as well as DVD screens for the rear seats. Rear sun blinds and a powered tailgate underline the user-friendliness of the Chrysler.

Updated in 2008, the Grand Voyager was available in three trim levels, moving up from the base-model LX to the Touring and finally the Limited.

At more than five-metres in length, the Grand Voyager was certainly no tiddler, but at least that length meant that you still had some luggage space even with all seven seats occupied; not something that can be said for all people-movers.

The other distinguishing feature of the Chrysler was that you also got a choice of powerplant and the fuel it used. For maximum fuel economy, you could opt for the 2.8-litre four-cylinder turbo diesel with its 120kW of power and relaxed feel. Or, for more refinement, the 3.8-litre petrol V6 with 142kW was the way to go.

Ordinarily, we’d plump for the smoother petrol engine, but in the real world it will use at least half as much fuel again, bringing the turbo diesel back into focus, especially since it’s more than up to the job. In any case, the petrol engine was dropped for the 2012 model year, leaving just the diesel to solider on.

The Touring trim level was dumped at the same time.

Just be aware that servicing costs will usually be a little more for a diesel vehicle over the longer term as they need more frequent oil changes (just for starters).

Regardless of which engine you went for, you got a six-speed automatic transmission driving the front wheels.

Given its family-car focus, it was good to see that even with the first examples from 2008, the Grand Voyager had plenty of safety with knee air-bags for both front passengers and full-length side and curtain airbags to protect all three rows of human cargo.

When shopping, try to find an example that hasn’t been beaten half to death by its previous family. Kids, pushbikes and dogs are all hard on interiors, so make sure you’re not dealing with a disaster zone, and make sure that all the electrical gear works properly, as silly, niggling problems weren’t unknown in Chrysler products from this era. That extends to the powered tailgate which can give false alarms that it’s ajar when it’s actually fully closed.

Faulty wiring could also cause the powered side doors to fail, too, so check it all closely. Speaking of which, there were plenty of recalls for this model Grand Voyager, so check with a dealer to see that they’ve all been seen to.

One of the more serious was for a batch of vehicles that had the potential for coolant to leak from the heating system, on to the module that controls the air-bags, leaving the air-bags inoperable.

In one of the other various recalls, the vehicle was fitted with the incorrect grade of brake pads, leading to less effective braking in an emergency. But there were others, including multiple ones to check the ignition system and other aspects of the airbag system.

Drive any Grand Voyager over a decent bump and listen for a banging noise from under the vehicle. If it’s there, you could have a vehicle from the batch that had an incorrect exhaust system mounting system and the noise will be the muffler banging on the car’s floor.

Make sure all the functions of the audio and media system work properly as several owners have complained about failures. Sometimes these glitches could be fixed with a software update, but either way, it meant a visit to the dealership.

Honda Odyssey – Model before the current shape is the one to buy. Looks great even now and can achieve commendable economy on a longer trip. Later model seemed dumbed down a little. 3.5 stars

Ford Territory – More of an SUV than a people-mover, but that doesn’t bother most people. Turbo-diesel version is the one to find now thanks to superior fuel economy. But early petrols very cheap. 4 stars

Toyota Kluger – No diesel on offer, but V6 is a strong performer. Rather than tech or fashion, you’re buying reliability and practicality. Which the Kluger has in spades. 3.5 stars